Long Time, No Talk

I realize we've had a big lag between posts, so I just wanted to do an update ... not much to update in reality!! We have been SWAMPED with work and just life in general, so we've been doing alot of " everyone asleep by 9:00 PM" kind of nights.

Alex has been very busy at the farm lately trying to keep everything maintained there. His cousin Kelsey just moved out of one of the farm houses that is on the property, so we are about to begin a renovation process with that one -- it has to be gutted! Alex's granddad had just finished renovating it right before he got sick in 2005, and since that time, let's just say that Kelsey hasn't kept it in the best condition. I won't show pictures at this point, but maybe when we are finished I might show a before picture just to show how far it has come and returned to be the adorable house it really is!

Also, Abby, our new babysitter for Charlie has begun working with us -- what a jewel she is! Charlie has really taken to her, and will snuggle right up to her. She has such a little quiet voice and plays so great with Charlie. What a relief to not be worried about him while I am working, especially when I usually don't have a minute to sit down and call and check on him. He is in very capable hands. We are SO blessed to have found her! She is getting married this month, so it will be busy for everyone!

So, I'll end this post with a picture of our almost one year old. He has a new nickname added to the bunch -- he is now known as the "cookbook monster." Alex designed this beautiful kitchen and put a cookbook shelf at the bottom of the island, not realizing we would have a child who likes to pull all the cookbooks off the shelf and occasionally take a bite out of some of the pages. Here he is in this picture, reading recipes from a Paula Deen cookbook -- hopefully he will get his Daddy's cooking skills, not mine!